Cylinder cock



Feb. 15, 1938. R A IGHT ET 2,108,228

CYLINDER COCK Filed Jan. 5, 1935 If F G INVENTORS. I F g fwlpll f1.Lig/J rfba'e vh 12/: Price rfn,

lrrromvzrl Patented Feb. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE CYLINDERCOCK Application January 3, 1935, Serial No. 244

1 Claim.

Our invention relates to locomotive cylinder cocks of the type shown anddescribed in the McLain Patent. 1,958,091, of May 8, 1934. In cylindercocks of this kind, which are adapted to 5 be secured to the ends oflocomotive cylinders, the casing of the cylinder cock which is in freecommunication with the locomotive cylinder is provided with closuresthrough which is formed an outlet or exhaust port opened and closed bythe movement of the slide valve moving on a slide valve seat surroundingthe exhaust port and the valve is connected to and actuated by a pistonreciprocable in a cylinder extending through the wall of the casing andconnected at its outer end to a source of fluid pressure such as theboiler of the locomotive and the piston is moved in ward to close thevalve or outward to open it in accordance with the prevalence of thepressures acting upon the inner and outer ends of the piston, thepressure on the inner end of the piston being preferably supplemented bythe resilient pressure of a spring acting to move the piston outward andshift the valve to opened position when fluid pressure is cut off fromthe outer end of the cylinder. The movements of the piston and connectedparts are limited by abutments so located as to be contacted as theslide valve is closed or moved to fully open position. In the practicaluse of such valves it has been found that the sensitiveness andefliciency of the apparatus is at its best when the stroke of theactuating piston and the travel of the slide valve are short and alsothat the wear and tear on the moving parts is greater where the travelof these parts .35 is increased but it is important that a large exhaustport be provided to insure a prompt evacuation of the cylinder cock andconnected portion of the locomotive cylinder and it is one object of ourinvention to provide a construction which. will admit of the use of anexhaust port of ample cross-sectional area while at the same time con-.flning the motion of the moving parts of the apparatus within limitswhich have been found to .give the best results with a minimum wear and49 tear on the parts, particularly on the abutting surfaces which limittheir movement.

In apparatus of the kind to which our invention relates it has beenfound desirable to connect the exhaust port of the cylinder cock casingwith an exhaust chamber provided with a lateral opening which willdirect the Water and steam issuing from the casing when the valve isopened in such direction as is found least objectionable and as in 55our improved construction it is necessary to align the closure in whichthe exhaust port is formed in such manner as to insure that the exhaustport shall be properly aligned with the valve actuating piston. Inconnection with our invention it is desirable to provide an improvedconstruction by means of which the adjustment of a cap forming with thebottom of the closure an exhaust chamber provided with a lateral outletopening which can be angularly adjusted so as to direct this outletopening in what is considered the most advan- 10 tageous direction.

With the above objects in view we form the exhaust port through thebottom closure of the cylinder cock casing with a relatively long andnarrow cross-section and provide a slide valve 15 to open and close theexhaust port of similar shape, though, of course, of such dimensions asto extend over the edges of the exhaust port when in position to closethe port and we provide interengaging means between the closure and thelow- 20 or portion of the cylinder cock casing which will insure thatthe closure when adjusted in closing position with respect to thecasing, will be so aligned that the longitudinal axis of the exhaustport will lie substantially at right angles to the 25 line of movementof the valve actuating piston. By preference we form the closure with acylindrical upper portion which fits in the lower end of the casing andWe provide in the inside of the lower end of the casing a groove and onthe cylin- 30 drical portion of the closure a projection or pin adaptedto enter this groove and thereby insure that the angular position of theclosure shall be such that the long axis of the exhaust port will lietransversely to the line of motion of the valve actuating piston. Belowthe cylindrical portion of the closure we form the closure with alaterally extending flange which fits against the bottom end of thecylinder cock casing and against the under side of this flange we fit aperipheral flange of a cap like member forming with the lower end of theclosure, which is preferably hollowed out, an exhaust chamber and havinga lateral opening which by an angular adjustment of the cap piece can bemade to direct the flow of water and steam in any desired direction. Bypreferonce We secure the cap in position on the closure and the closurein position in and on the end of the casing by means of a union nuthaving a flange fitting under the flange of the cap piece and screwingupon the externally threaded lower end of the cylinder cock casingalthough it should be understood that we do not consider our inventionin its broad sense as limited to any particular means for securing theparts together.

The apparatus and improved features which constitute our invention willbe understood as further described in connection with the drawing inwhich Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the cylinder cock taken onthe line 1-4 of Fig. 2, and

Figure 2, a cross section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

A indicates the casing of the cylinder cock having at its top aninternally threaded projection A adapted to be secured to a locomotivecylinder. The lower end of the casing which is of cylindrical shape isformed with an internal longitudinal groove indicated at B with amachined end portion indicated at B and with an outer threaded portionindicated at 13 C indicates a cylinder extending through the wall of thecasing with an inner end opening into the casing and an outer endadapted to be connected to a source of fluid pressure, preferably theboiler of the locomotive through a conduit, an end portion of which isindicated at D indicates a piston working in the cylinder and having apiston rod extension from its inner end, indicated at D which piston rodextends across the casing A and is supported at its end as indicated atE and engaged by a spring E which applies constant resilient pressure,tending, through the piston rod, to force the piston D outward in itscylinder C. D is an annular shoulder formed on the piston rod D, which,when the moving parts are actuated to close the valve G, abuts against ashoulder E on the guide E. The movement of the parts in the oppositedirection to open the valve is limited by the abutment or the piston Dagainst the outer end of the cylinder C. F indicates the bottom closureof the casing A which is preferably formed, as shown, with a cylindricalportion F adapted to fit in the cylin drical end of the casing andterminating in a flange F adapted to fit against the end B of thecasing. A port F is formed through the closure which, in accordance withour present invention, is long and comparatively narrow and we provideon the outer cylindrical portion of the closure a pin or projectionindicated at F which, when the closure is assembled with the casing, isadapted to enter the groove B and so align the closure that itslongitudinal port F will lie with its longer diameter at right angles tothe line of travel of the piston D. The upper face F of the closure ismachined so as to form a seat for a slide valve and the slide valveworking on this seat, indicated at G, is given a comparatively long andnarrow form to correspond with the form of the port through the closureand is interengaged with the piston rod D as by means of projections Ginterengaging with shoulders D formed on the piston rod. A spring Ginterposed between the top of the slide valve and the piston rod servesto press the valve against its seat. H is a cap having a peripheralflange H adapted to fit against the flange F of the closure having alateral outlet opening indicated at H J is a union nut having a flange Jadapted to extend over the flange H of the cap and internally threadedto screw upon the threaded portion B of the cap piece as shown.

In assembling the apparatus, the piston and iston rod extension D and Dare inserted through the cylinder C, the slide valve inserted throughthe bottom opening of the casing and interengaged with the piston rod.The closure F is then inserted with its cylindrical portion F extendinginto the bottom portion of the casing and its pin F inserted in thegroove B, thus properly aligning the port F and the upper portion of theflange F resting on the end portion B of the casing. The cap piece H isthen placed over the end of the closure with its flange H lying incontact with the lower portion of the flange F and the cap piece havingbeen angularly adjusted so that its lateral outlet H will lie in thedesired direction, the union nut J is screwed upon the threaded end B ofthe casing until its flange J is screwed down upon the flange H of thecap piece, clamping it against the flange F of the closure and clampingthe flange F against the bottom of the casing.

It will be understood that the casing A is in free communication withthe end of the locomotive cylinder and that when no pressure is exertedagainst the outer end of the piston D, such pressure as may exist in thecasing as well as the resilient action of the spring E acting on theinner end of the piston will force it outward with the result that theslide valve G is shifted to a position to open the longitudinal port Fand permit any water and steam in the casing A to escape and that by aproper adjustment of the cap H such escaping fluid may be given anydirection which is thought desirable. When high pressure fluid, such assteam from the boiler is admitted through the pipe C to the outer end ofthe cylinder C, the piston D is forced inward, shifting the slide valveG to a position to close the elongated port F thus preventing the escapeof fluid from the casing unless the pressure inside of the casing andacting against the inner end of the piston D, shall temporarily exceedthe pressure acting on the outer end of the piston as will be the caseif condensed water from the engine cylinder shall flll the casing A andaccumulate to some extent in the end of the locomotive cylinder. In suchcase the slide valve G will be moved to open position, permitting theescape of accumulated water, after which escape pressure conditions willbecome such as to again close the exhaust slide valve G.

It will be noted that by providing a relatively long and narrow exhaustport in the bottom closure with a correspondingly shaped slide valve toopen and close the port that it is practicable to form an exhaust portor" large cross-sectional area which can be opened and closed by arelatively short movement of the slide valve and a correspondingly shortstroke inward or outward of the piston controlling the movements of theslide valve and it has been found that by so limiting the movements ofthe moving parts that a material advantage is gained both in theoperative functions of the apparatus and in the avoidance of wear andtear on the moving parts particularly on the abutting surfaces whichlimit the movement of the parts to open and close the valve. Again, itis thought desirable by users of cylinder cocks of the general characterin question to provide means for directing the exhaust in what isconsidered the least objectionable direction and by providing anangularly adjustable cap piece with a lateral outlet together withmeans, such as the union nut, for clamping the cap piece to the flangeof the closure against the bottom of the casing. This requirement isvery satisfactorily provided for.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

in a locomotive cylinder cock of the type comprising a casing, aseparable closure for the lower end of the casing having an exhaust portand a slide valve seat upon its upper surface, means for securelyclamping the closure to the bottom of the casing, a cylinder extendingthrough the wall of the casing and adapted to be connected to a sourceof fluid pressure at its outer end, a piston working in said cylinderand a slide valve connected to be actuated by said piston and working onthe slide valve seat on the upper surface of the bottom closure in whichthe movements of the piston and valve are limited :by abutmentscontacted at the end of each piston stroke to open or close the valve,the improvement which consists in forming the exhaust port through thebottom closure as an elongated and comparatively narrow opening, formingthe bottom closure and the lower end of the casing with interengagingmeans whereby the bottom closure will be so aligned that the elongatedexhaust port will be close the exhaust port as the piston is actuated 10in one direction or the other.

RALPH A. LIGHT. JOSEPH W. PRICE, JR.

